Lend a Hand, If You Can

I'm a Dj (like on the radio, not spinning the jams at a rave. No matter how many times I tell that joke it just doesn't get old...to me anyway). Today and tomorrow (that's Monday and Tuesday for those of you playing the home game) my radio station is hosting its annual radiothon for the kids of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

I'm a pretty cynical guy. I make fun of most people and a lot of things. But the work that ALSAC (the fund-raising arm of St. Jude) and the researchers, doctors, nurses and scientists at St. Jude do everyday is beyond commendable. It's a cause that I believe in strongly, and not only want to help myself, but I am driven to get others to pitch in as well.

I live in northern Louisiana. We're mostly rural (a couple of mid-size cities) but in our listening area alone there are 218 current patient receiving treatment or post-treatment therapy at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee. A gigantic portion of St. Jude's funding comes from radiothon's just like ours all around the country. We don't ask much, but I'm now asking it of you.

St. Jude is looking for "Partner's in Hope." A "Partner in Hope" is someone that makes a pledge of $20 a month for one year. Now for some of you (myself included) $240 is a considerable amount of money to just "give away," but let's break it down. We're talking about less than a dollar a day. If you average it out it's less than 66 cents a day. I did the math on that one, and it took me a while 'cause I'm horrible at math. Now you KNOW this is important to me. 66 cents a day. That probably won't even buy your morning coffee or Coca-Cola. But St. Jude will take your 66 cents, roll it together with thousands and thousands just like you all over the world, and use it to keep their doors open. And they do an awful lot of good behind those doors.

In 1962 the cure rate for Hodgkin Disease was 50%, as of 2003 it's 90. For non-Hodgkin lymphoma the cure rate rose from just 7% in 1962 to 80% in 2003. Those are just types of childhood diseases that the researchers at St. Jude are working to eradicate. There are literally thousands of people alive today, carrying out their lives as productive, healthy adults because of the efforts of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. But they can't do it without your 66 cents.

I don't charge for these blogs (if I did, I imagine my readership would decrease significantly), so if you're on the fence about making a donation, just consider it a fee for the funny that the Drunken Rogue brings. There's got to be at least a joke or two that are worth your 66 cents...right? If you'd like to donate, you can call my radiothon at 1-800-787-5288 or online at www.countrycares.com. Either way, the money is going to go directly to the people who need it.

I understand that many of you (like most Americans) are quite generous. I'm sure you all have a charity or a local church that you like to give to on a regular basis. That's a wonderful thing, and I don't want to take away from those causes at all. But if you find yourself with an extra 66 cents burning a hole in that pocket, think about helping out the kids of St. Jude. They'd appreciate it, and so would I.